Weekend Recap

I'm home!  It was a great weekend.  I can't wait to go again next year!  Yes, I've already told asked Shane about 2009.

As far as my weekend goes, I couldn't have asked for better.  I completed 39 pages...13 for each baby.  Originally, I was a bit bummed by that, but then I remembered that a) I got around 7 hours of sleep each night.  And that was one of my reasons for going, remember?  Sleep.  Uninterrupted.  Alone.  And b) (yes...there was and "a" it was just forever long ago...) I did MAJOR "journaling".  I mean, these are BABY books...so there's all sorts of "What we thought when we first found out"..."How we got ready for your Arrival"...and "How we told people" stories that had to be written...three times.  Ugh.  I definitely had hand cramps most of the weekend.  But yes, there will definitely be a 2009 weekend because I am addicted!

And you know what?  Shane didn't just survive...HE DID GREAT!  Suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuure...5 minutes after he got home and told the sitter she could leave, Ava fell off the couch, but other than that...SUCCESS!  He even managed to cut Ty's hair (holy cow, did he need that!)  The house looked great when I got home, too.  It wasn't perfect, but it was SO much better than I anticipated.

Saturday night, Zoe cried in bed telling Shane how much she missed me.  When Shane pointed out that she didn't cry when he was on business trips, Zoe's reply?  "Well...I'm used to you being away!"  Know what that tells me?  I need to go away more often!

I'm sure there are 100's of stories that I haven't been told.  But as they say, ignorance is bliss.  I'm choosing ignorance!  It trully IS bliss...

I'm Off...

Do you hear the marching band?  Do you see the fireworks?  Can you feel the excitement?  That's the party I'm throwing!

I'm leaving.  I'm going.  You'll never see me again.  Okay, so I'm getting a little carried away...

This is my weekend!  I'm off to a hotel with a bunch of other women for a weekend of scrapbooking.  30 hours.  Me, my tools, some pictures, & piles of colored paper (acid free, of course.)  No kids.  No diapers.  No arguing.  No complaining.  My own bed!!!!!

And the best part?  I'm 100% certain there will be stories GALORE to blog when I come back.  Afterall...Shane's home with the five kids...solo!

That sound you hear?  Screaching tires...me pulling out of the driveway!

Wordful Wednesday

Angie over at Seven Clown Circus hosts a blog each Wednesday called "Wordful Wednesday".  It's for those of us that like to post pictures, but can't seem to let the picture speak for itself.

This is one of my most recent favorites.

Around 4 o'clock each afternoon, the crabbies make their way out of my 1 year-old triplets.  They no longer play nicely together.  They are no longer content with their toys.  They want Mommy.  They want attention.  They scream.  Loud.

Until...

Until the Praise Baby DVD is put on.  Then peace returns to our home (at least for 45 minutes) as six eyes are completely focused on the pictures moving across the screen and six perfectly formed ears are listening to calming worship music.  It becomes my favorite time of day.

What never ceases to amaze me, is that they watch the same DVD everyday.  And still, they're amazed by it!

15 Months...and counting

This morning, the triplets had their 15-month well-baby visit...and I had an epiphany.

First, the stats:

Ava: 29" / 18 lbs. 5 oz. 

Eli: 30.5" / 22 lbs. 5 oz.

Cole: 32.5" / 27 lbs. 12 oz.

All in all, good health.  No ear infections.  No strep throat.  Which is great news...just not for Cole!  For the past 2 weeks, or so, Mr. Cole has decided he doesn't need to sleep through the night.  No...he starts screaming bloody murder crying until we pick him up.  Patting doesn't work.  Rubbing his back doesn't work.  Nope.  Has to be picked up...and immediately, there's peace and quiet.  We've tried the Cry-it-out (CIO) method, but we're a bit limited in how long that can go, since he shares a room with Ava & Eli.  We've even tried letting him CIO in our closet (don't worry...it's a walk-in with plenty of room and he's safe in a pack & play out of reach of anything he can pull onto himself...please don't send me nasty emails) but we end up feeling too guilty to let it go any longer than 5-10 minutes and we end up bringing him to bed with us.  All that being said, the doctor said there's NOTHING wrong with him.  And he actually ENCOURAGED us to let Cole CIO so that no bad habits are set.  So guess what Cole...if you wake up tonight...it's in the closet...doors closed...pillow over my head to muffle the sound!

As for me and my epiphany?  Well...I may be overstating things when I call it that.  But I did realize, today, that life as the mother of triplets is going to mean standing my ground, making some tough decisions, and sometimes having to defend those choices.  When Zoe & Ty had their 15-month appointment, I don't think I thought twice about the shots that they were getting.  I just "went with the flow".  But that was 2003 & 2005.  Since then, there have been scads of reports about MMR and whether or not it has ties to Autism.  For the past few months, I've been talking to people, researching, praying, reading, deciding, re-deciding, talking to more people...basically chasing my tail in circles.  This morning, I thought I had my mind made up, but driving to the appointment, I got all uncertain again.  So, Shane & I decided to talk to the doctor about our options.  One, we could give it.  He (the doctor) feels the shots are safe...no preservatives...no whatever that bad thing is called is...but he wasn't going to "talk us into it".  Two, we could hold off until the 2 y.o. visit, when they don't recieve any other shots.  Or, three, we could postpone and separate the M, the M, & the R.  Although our doctor's office doesn't stock the separated vaccines, I could pick it up at the pharmacy and they'd give it to the babies.

I have to tell you, it was just a peace-filled conversation.  At one point, I said something about sounding like a nut, since I didn't think twice with the other kids and the doctor said, "no...you'd be nuts if you didn't question things now."  Regardless of my decision, he supported us.  That's when it dawned on me...there's going to be so many of these choices we'll have to make.  Choices we didn't have to think about with Zoe & Ty.  Do we put them in the same class when they go to school?  Do we put two in one class...or all in different classes?  Do we keep them back (since they're August babies)?  What about sports...should the boys play on the same team?  Birthday parties...together...apart?  I'm sure there are others, but that's all I care to think about (it makes me stress).  When we make these choices...people are going to ask how and why we chose the way we did.  I don't think I'm ready for that!

We have friends who are passionate on boths sides of the issue, so I'm not going to mention which way we decided on the shots.  I think it's a personal decision (and I don't really want to get mean comments one way or another).  But I do want to encourage you to stand up for what you want to do with your children and their vaccinations.  If your doctor isn't as encouraging as ours is, GET A NEW ONE!  You only make these choices once.  Make sure you're at peace with it.

7x7

I've been reading Angie's Bring the Rain blog since she started writing, pretty much.  She's amazing with her words and always such an encouragement.  I've laughed, cried and laughed again almost everytime she writes.

The other day, she wrote about the importance of praying for our children.  I totally agree.  The problem is, I always get caught up in my day and "forget" to pray for them.  She had a great solution...and a wonderful challenge.

I'm joining her...will you?  Not just for a week...but hopefully, for a lifetime!

Quite a Day!

Zoe had quite a day today!

It started this morning, with an eye appointment.

At her 6 year-old checkup, she didn't quite pass her VEP exam.  Don't ask me what it is or what it does.  All I know is they put little probes on her scalp and have her watch a screen with annoying images and sounds flashing like wild.  It gave me a headache just being in the room (and I was trying not to look at it) so I can see why Zoe kept turning away.  After the high-tech thingie-mabob, the nurse gave Zoe an old-fashion eye-chart test.  Apparently, she didn't do too well on that either, so the pediatrician recommended going to an optometrist (opthamologist?  What's the difference, again?).  I'll save you the rant about the research I did on the importance (i.e. cost) of a pediatric opta-whatever.  Zoe went to the same Optometrist as Daddy (which she thought was very cool).

(Sorry for the poor quality, it was taken from my phone)

The result?  No problem!  No glasses!  Zoe's has a slight tendency for far-sightedness (huh?) but apparently that's common in younger kids and she will grow out of it as she ages.  So, I'm chalking up the "failed" test to the fact that it was a Friday afternoon at about 4:30p.

Which leads us to this afternoon...

I'm in the kitchen starting dinner (not my favorite part of the day) when Zoe flies in from the backyard.  I couldn't understand a word she was saying...not only was it spoken at the speed of light, it was mumbled like she had a mouthful of marbles!  And she was thrusting her hand out to me!

She'd lost her first wiggly tooth!

(The hole's on the bottom...odd, right?  Isn't it usually the top teeth that come out first?  Zoe's never been one to "follow the rules".  Why start with teeth?)

It took all my strength not to gag when she handed it to me.  I'm not sure exactly what I said, but in my mind, it was something very encouraging and enthusiastic as I quickly got the tooth out of my hand and back into hers!  No sooner had I done so, than she was on the phone to the president both sets of grandparents with her late-breaking news.  Then, she was a blur as she darted across the street to notify the neighbors.

As soon as the storm door slammed, I was on my laptop googling "going rate for first lost tooth"!

Running Errands

*** Updated 11/7: For all of you that seem to think I have my camera in a holster on waist...IT WAS THE CAMERA ON MY PHONE! ***

Guess what I did yesterday that I NEVER thought I'd do!?!?!?!

BJs with the triplets!  It was almost like I was a regular mom out running errands.  I felt sort of "normal".

They were GREAT!  They loved looking around at all the colors and big boxes.  Cole kept looking up at the ceiling.  I guess warehouses are his thing.

I went with the "push & pull" technique.  Push one cart and pull the other.  As long as I evenly distributed "the goods", it wasn't hard to maneuver at all.

We did get a few stares and comments, but nothing out of the ordinary.  Maybe they're used to multiples in a wholesale club.  Buying bulk is a necessity!  We did see a set of twins and a few "multiple kids", but no other double carts.

I'll definitely brave the trip again.  Just a few adjustments next time: 1) sippy cups with their straps attached ("Toss the Sippy" is not Mommy's favorite game.)  2) snacks  & 3) stick to visits on NON-raining days!